The Rose of LaRousse
by hisorako
Summary: Two years have passed since May permanently parted ways with Ash, two years since participating in the Wallace Cup with Dawn. She traveled Johto solo to compete in contests and became a well-known, established Coordinator. She and Drew both went off the contest radar to study to attend high school. One night, while studying, May receives an unexpected friend request - from Drew! CS
1. Friend Me!

_Hey, it's me again with a new story! Ummm... let's see... if the summary wasn't clear enough, I'll give a little back story._

_ This takes place two years after May leaves Sinnoh for Johto. She met Harley, Drew, and Solidad again at almost all her contests. She almost wins a championship there but loses to Drew in the semi-finals. Then, she and Drew left to study to get into high school. That is where our story takes place._

* * *

"x = 4.739!" She flipped through the phonebook-thick book to the back. "Aw, x = 4.852! What did I do wrong?" She held her head in her hands. They were starting to hurt after three hours of straight studying.

_Ping!_

"What?" She scooted over to her laptop, which had come alive.

"**You have one new friend request.**" read the screen.

"From who?" she wondered aloud. She had already added Misty, Dawn, Brock and Solidad. She had even added Harley - to her black list, that was.

_Click!_

**DREW HAYDEN requests to be your friend.**

Drew? She hadn't heard from him in ages! She was on the verge of forgetting who he even was!

Her little pointer icon hovered over the **DENY **button as she toyed with the idea of chatting with Drew. _Well, _she thought, _you only live once. _Besides, if he was getting on her nerves she could add him to her black list.

_Click! _Well, there it was - Drew's name right below Misty's. He would be good relief to the monotonous boredom of studying, at least.

_Ping!_

_What now? _she thought, irritated at her computer. _Was the whole world trying to friend her?_

**DREW HAYDEN: yo**

She typed back.

**MAY PETALBURG: what? I'm studying**

_Ping!_

**DREW HAYDEN: oh srry what for?**

She bit down on her lip. He ought to know - that was, if he listened to anything but his own voice.

**MAY PETALBURG: high school, what else?**

_Ping!_

_Well, that was quick_, she thought.

**DREW HAYDEN: which 1?**

**MAY PETALBURG: The Rose of LaRousse**

_Ping!_

**DREW HAYDEN: oh, rofl?**

_What? _she wondered. _Rolling On the Floor Laughing? What was so funny to that green-haired jerk?_

_ Ping!_

**DREW HAYDEN: thats what we call it here: Rose OF Larousse**

_Ping!_

_ Again? What else was there to say? _May wondered.

**DREW HAYDEN: its a joke**

_How stupid do you think I am?! Jerk, jerk, jerk! _She thought-yelled angrily.

**MAY PETALBURG: oh i see**

_Ping!_

_ Got any other smart comments, genius?_

**DREW HAYDEN: im goin there 2**

** MAY PETALBURG: thats great**

_Ping!_

**DREW HAYDEN: been missing me? its only been since spring**

** MAY PETALBURG: ewww id never miss some1 like u**

_Ping!_

**DREW HAYDEN: its cuz ur not worthy2**

_Ping!_

**DREW HAYDEN: *worthy 2**

** MAY PETALBURG: OH IM NOT WORTHY TO?! WHO MADE A TPO, WHO?!**

_Ping!_

**DREW HAYDEN: U just did**

And with that, she stayed up late, chatting through the night.

* * *

"Honey, is your hair combed?" Caroline poked her head through the door. "I want you to leave a good impression on all those people! They could become your teachers and classmates!"

"Sure, Mom," May said as she tied her bandana tightly around her head. It was back to her classic red today, perfect for looking and being herself.

"Oh, yes, and I made Drew some cookies and taped on the recipe for his mom, okay?" Caroline reminded her.

"Okay, I won't forget to give them to him." She adjusted her bag belt around her waist. "Ready to go!" She grabbed her pokéballs and clipped them to her belt in a hurry.

Running downstairs, she hugged her brother goodbye in the kitchen.

"Eww, sis, get off of me. Remember that Dad said I could get a Pokémon from Professor Birch after you go off to school. That is," he said, "if you get accepted. Don't fail!"

Laughing, she headed out the door, "I won't, Max! Love you!"

She ran to the front of the house. "Dad!" she cried out when she saw him. "I thought you were busy today!"

"Me too," Norman said, smiling back, "but my little girl going off for high school exams already made me think I ought to be here to see her off. Besides, I want to meet that Drew boy who's picking you up. To make sure he's okay."

"Dad!" Her cheeks were flushed bright red with embarrassment. "He's giving me a lift, not taking me on a date!"

"Honey, I really care about you. Honestly, I was scared when you brought home Ash, but after meeting him, I could tell right away that he was just a nice boy and, more importantly, just a friend. But I don't know about this Drew guy. I want to see him for myself."

"Fine, Dad, you can stay out here."

Caroline drifted to the front of the house. "Honey, I just saw something in the distance. Do you think it's Drew?"

"Maybe." She rocked anxiously on her heels. _Drew, you jerk, _she thought, _you're late._

Less than ten minutes later, that spot on the horizon touched down.

"Sorry I'm late," he said in that oh so familiar snobbish way of his. "I got held up getting Flygon some breakfast."

"Oh, May, you picked a good friend. He really cares about Pokémon." Caroline cooed holding May's shoulders. She looked up at Drew. "Hi, I'm May's mother, Caroline. You must be Drew."

"That's me. Good morning, Mrs. Petalburg. And you, sir, must be her father, Norman Petalburg." He gave a little bow. "It's an honor to meet such a respected gym leader."

"Thank you, Drew," Norman replied. "It's nice to meet you too. So tell me, how did you meet May?"

"When she was practicing for a contest. I was giving her some pointers to help her out." He crossed his arms smugly.

_What pointers, you two-faced liar?! Most of what you did was complain! _May stood, infuriated.

"Oh, I think I remember you from the contests. I saw you compete against May a couple of times. You really raised your Pokémon well." Norman crossed his arms over his chest and looked at his daughter's friend with pride. "Well, I think you'd better go now or you'll be late."

"That's right, Norman. Have fun and do well on the test!" Caroline gave May one last hug and waved goodbye as May got on Flygon's back.

"Thanks, Mom! I love you!" May waved back as Drew got on behind her and signaled to Flygon.

"Oof!" She lost her balance as Flygon lifted into the air, crashing into Drew behind her.

He caught her. "Are you okay? Stay alive until we get to ROFL, will you?" After stabilizing her, he swept his hair back in his usual arrogant way.

"Still the same as ever, jerk. Think you're going to make it into Rose?" May shot back.

"Sure I will. The test will be easy. I didn't even study." He smirked at her.

"Then good for you." She stuck her tongue out at him.

* * *

An hour and forty-five minutes later, they reached LaRousse City. After their argument had died out, they had resumed being good friends.

"And remember when I beat you at the Kanto Grand Festival? That was great!"

"Aw, don't boast too much." Drew waved her comment away with his hand. "It was just pure luck."

"Hey, Drew, isn't that LaRousse?" May excitedly pointed down below the clouds.

"Flygon, down!" Drew commanded, pointing downward.

When they swooped down, they had a perfect view of the white bridge that crossed over the island.

"Wow. It's so... so... pretty!" May marveled at the sight.

"Well, yeah, I guess you never quite get used to it. It's always changing." He looked down fondly at his hometown before checking his watch. "Ah, it's getting late - if we don't hurry, we might miss the exams. Flygon, fly home."

Flygon obeyed with a flick of its tail and descended into the city, hovering toward the west, more populated side of the island.

"I hope you don't mind," Drew said, "but I've got something to get at home, and Flygon needs to be left there."

"Oh, sure." May thought silently, _As long as we're not late, that is._

They landed in the wide street in front of a relatively normal-looking yellow-painted house with white shutters.

"Well, here we are." He dismounted with ease. "Here, jump." He held out his arms. "I'll catch you."

"Well, okay." May close her eyes. _This cannot be happening, this cannot be happening_, she thought rapidly, repeating it over and over again.

"Hurry up, we haven't got all day." Drew called impatiently.

She snapped open her eyes. _I can do this_, she thought, followed by, _this is insane. _"1, 2, 3!" She jumped off Flygon's back and fell straight into Drew's arms.

"Gotcha!" he yelled out. "Boy, you're light." He put her feet down on the ground and let her stand. "How can you eat so much?" He smirked.

"Jerk!" she shouted and stomped off, her back to him.

Hiding his smug smile, he walked up the wooden steps to the porch and typed in the twelve-digit code to unlock the front door.

"Drew!" came a woman's voice loudly from inside. "Here's your pencil box. Mind introducing me to your friend?"

"Sure, Mom," came the reply.

* * *

_A long chapter, I know, but I couldn't really find a way to end it. I just had too much fun writing it! Next chapter, May will finally meet Drew's mom... and yes, it will be an awkward moment, but all the more fun! I was being random, so this was the product..._

_All information credit goes to Bulbapedia! Thanks so much!_

_Dedicated to Kwon Jielin-sunbae, a loving mentor._


	2. Thinking of You

_Hello, my long-suffering readers. I have (FINALLY) finished this chapter. It's going to be a quickie, but if you wait until the end, you'll get to see the return of a familiar friend. Well, have fun!  
_

_Dedicated to my cousins, Alex and Andy. Be good. ^^_

* * *

When the woman stepped onto the porch, May could only stare. Her hair, the same shade of green as Drew's, stuck up in three points like a...

"Oh, is it my hair?" she asked, tapping her head knowingly, as May, embarrassed to be caught staring, turned red. "It's supposed to look like a Roselia. A throwback from my coordinating days" She laughed softly.

"That's what I was thinking!" May replied brightly. "Hi, I'm May. I'm a coordinator, too."

Mrs. Hayden smiled back. "Oh, yes, I've seen you on television. The way Drew talks about you, I've always wanted to meet you."

"Mom!" Drew said sharply, blushing only the tiniest bit.

She only laughed. "Look at the time. You two should hurry up or else you'll be late. And, May?"

"Yes?" she asked, still blushing from the last comment.

"Do come back again. It's always a bit lonely here." She grinned as she stepped inside and closed the door.

* * *

As they walked toward the moving sidewalk, Drew broke the awkward silence. "I'm sorry about that. She always takes things to the extreme." He swept his hair to the side. "Besides, all I talked about was how many times I beat you."

"You did not! I beat you, too!"

"Whatever." He smirked, then looked away.

_Why am I disappointed? _she wondered. _He's always so aggravating. _She frowned. _He's the rudest, snobbiest boy I've ever met. He's just stuck up. _Her featured softened. I

Stepping off the moving sidewalk, she followed him up a tall flight of stairs. (_Are they marble? _she asked herself in a mild fit of insanity.) Reaching the top last, she paused and let her mouth drop.

The Metro was a tall, white metal building that reminded May of ancient towers she had seen on her travels before. Its top was a dome and through the middle ran several train lines. It had many windows, wide and panoramic, made of reflective glass so that they couldn't see in from the outside. People streamed in and out of the building, the moving sidewalks barely keeping up with the crowd.

"Come on!" said Drew, gritting his teeth. It was rush hour and there wasn't much time left. Taking May's hand, he dragged her behind him as he wove through the crowds.

"Hey, I'm coming!" May protested.

* * *

Inside, it was similar to the terminal May, Ash, Brock, and Max had first arrived in more than a year before (_Has it been two? _May wondered): busy with crowds and block bots everywhere.

Drew steered her hurriedly to a gate, where he shoved his passport at the blockbot. It smiled, opening its mouth, then closing it. _"Proper authorizations. Hayden, Drew."_ It brought up his photo on its screens. "Have a nice trip!" Its screens turned blue again and it smiled.

May fumbled with her bag belt, finally pulling out the card and pushing it against the blockbot. _"Proper authorizations. Petalberg, May. Have a nice trip!"_ She scowled at the sight of her goofy photo from when she was younger but didn't have time to dwell on it.

They slid into the train, just as the doors closed and the train sped away.

Another card tapped the screen of the blockbot just as another train sped to take the place of the previous one. "Proper authorizations. Berlitz, Dawn."

The card's owner smiled as she stepped into the train. "See you soon, May."

* * *

_Well...I've been waiting a while for this. Welcome back, Dawn! I'm going to have to do some more research (by the way, I get most of my info from what I've seen and Bulbapedia). Have fun. ^^_


End file.
